Students Use Marijuana To Treat Health Problems

By Phillip G. Kopp
Source: Renegade Rip

Junkie, loser, hippie and pothead are just a few of the names that medical marijuana users fear being called. Even with the stereotypes, ordinary people suffering from a variety of illnesses are being treated with marijuana to help them function in everyday life. The consequences for being treated with this controversial drug can often outweigh the help it provides.

Medical marijuana, or cannabis, has more than half a million patients across the country. A number of patients happen to be attending college, and Bakersfield College is no exception. A few cannabis patients agreed to be interviewed but wished not to have their real names used for fear of persecution and scrutiny.

Cindi has been an active student at BC, maintaining a 4.0 GPA. A mother of three, she has had to battle severe medical problems, such as osteoporosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia and insomnia. She said she took a variety of medications, including regular injections that caused bad reactions.

"I was getting trigger points of cortisone, which is a shot," Cindi said. "When a physician's assistant gave me the injection, it punctured my lung, causing it to collapse."

Cindi sought other forms of treatment, which led her to cannabis. It helped control the pain that kept her from eating and being unable to function normally.

She hates being stereotyped and prefers to be called a "cannabis medicator" as opposed to "pothead."

Laws regarding medicinal marijuana have been left up to the states to decide, but it's still illegal under federal law. California is one of a handful of states that allows medicinal marijuana use.

Tiffany suffers from scoliosis and has been using cannabis treatment for some time. However, despite having her Medicinal Marijuana Card, her foster daughter was taken from her by the courts, who ruled that the child was in "immediate danger."

"Saying she was in immediate danger was the only way they could take her," Tiffany said. "The judged ruled that I was taking 'illegal' drugs."

Child Protective Services recognized Tiffany's legal right to use cannabis and allowed her to keep her other children. Her lawyer claims that her civil rights had been violated. She must now quit using cannabis to pass a drug test in order to get her foster daughter returned to her.

Patients with more mild conditions suffer the same hurdles as any other cannabis user. Kyle is a math major working on his general education requirements while holding an office in the Student Government Association. Suffering from back pain and tension headaches, he uses medical marijuana and is even a caretaker for other cannabis patients.

In late January, Kyle said he gave a friend a lift to the southwest parking lot. As they were parking, a Campus Security officer caught him cleaning out a pipe. He also had a small amount of marijuana. A Campus Security report for Jan. 25 said that a glass pipe with burned marijuana was also found in the center console of the vehicle.

"I was handcuffed and told not to resist," Kyle said. "I only had my permit for being a caregiver and not a patient, so they called the Bakersfield Police Department and I got charged with possession."

Kyle faced expulsion but had the charges dropped to suspension instead. He was also forced to resign from his office at SGA and is no longer eligible for financial aid. His suspension report showed that he had violated BC's "Standards of Student Conduct" policy.

"Pot is still considered a controlled substance, it collides with the campus laws," said Dean of Student Services Don Turney.

The policy states that a student can be suspended due to "the use, sale, possession or being under the influence of alcohol or any other controlled substance prohibited by law, on campus or at any function sponsored or supervised by the College."

Students have to comply with both state and federal laws making it illegal for them to carry any form of marijuana on campus. Unless students can propose a new policy to be placed under consideration for legislature, all cannabis patients can be faced with expulsion if caught with their medication.

"This is my medicine," Cindi said. "Please don't take my medicine from me."

Source: Renegade Rip (Bakersfield College, CA)
Author: Phillip G. Kopp
Published: Thursday, February 24, 2005
Copyright: 2005 The Renegade Rip
Contact: ripmail@bc.cc.ca.us
Website: http://www.therip.com/
Link to article: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20302.shtml